News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-03-31
Returning Good for Evil,


MR.. WOOD and Mr.. Brooks were
partners. they were doing a good bust
ness In large town, and were looked
upon as thriving. honorable merchants
They both had families, who were on
intimate terms of friendship. They had
trusted out a large amount of goods,
and had many bills to collect.
Mr.. Brooks volunteered to collect
the n, and, as Mr.. Wood preferred re-
naming at the store, he was glad to, have
him do so.
Mr.. Brooks had been very fortunate
in collecting, thereby receiving many
thousands of dollars, as they had sold
mostly at wholesale to responsible firms
After Mr.. Brooks had collected about
all he would be able to, he professed to
have been robbed of the whole amount
as he was about to bank the money.
Mr.. Wood did not at first doubt the
story, for he had never had occasion to
question the veracity of his partner. He
felt that ruin stared them in the face,
and was greatly distressed thereby. Mr..
Brooks straightway appeared to lose all
interest in the business, which soon be
gan to decrease, as it eluired their uni
ted efforts to keep it in a prosperous
condition.
Matters grew from bad to worse, and
Mr.. Wood was in great trouble, and un-
wisely sought to mitigate his. sorrow by
indulging in the social glass, thing be-
fore rnkpowln1o s to 70 him i'm e,esss 5noresss
he drank more deeply. 1t was a so4fce I
of great anxiety to the mind of his be
loved wife, who soon began to realize the
bitter stiugs of poverty and approaching
destitution. She demonstrated with him.
reproached, coaxed, and advised him. |
but all TO no purpose. Her prayers and |
tears were alike unavailing. He was fast |
travelling the downward road that ends |
in the drunkard's grave.
he goods in the store were seized,
an their business permanently suspen-
ded.
Mr.. Brooks lived on in the same grand
style as formerly, which was at first at
tributed to his temperate habits. As
time passed on, and he engaged in no
kind of business, people began to won
der how they still managed to meet their
expenses and live in luxury. Doubts of
his alleged loss by robbery began to be
whispered, and he was soon looked up
on with distrust, though on account of
the appearances of wealth surrounding
them, they still maintained their former
position in society.
Mrs. Brooks gave the cold shoulder to
her former dearest friend, and her chill
dren felt themselves far superior to the
children of the drunkard, as they called
Mr. Wood.
The fine furniture and costly orpa
ments belonging to the afflicted family
of the poor, mistaken, unhappy man
were sold one af er another to provide
food for them until all were gone, and
they were obliged to exist ut could not
be called living in miserable garret,
nearly destitute of the common necessities
Of Life. Mrs Wood obtained plain sew
ing from her wealthy acquaintance, and
worked early and late in her endeavor to
keep the wolf from the door, Her hus-
band performed no labor except odd
jobs for the wine merchants and saloon
keepers, receiving, therefore strong
drink to quench his raging thirst. The
saloon Mr.. Wood most frequently visi.
ted was adjoining the play ground of
the schoolhouse, where his own and his
former partners children attended
school He was accustomed to sit near
the window overlooking the grounds,
watching the children in their PLAYS,
when not too much intoxicated to do so.
One day he was thus sitting near the
open window in half besotted condi-
tion, and listening in a sort of drowsy
manner to their noisy mirth, when his
attention was arrested bv hearing spoken
the name of his ell est daughter, a girl
of ten summers.
The voice of the speaker he knew to
be that of Fanny Brooks, the daughter
of his former partner. He heard her
60 Il
out. Your father is a drunkard, and we
won't play with you any more. Such
a looking dress as you have on, not fit
for rag picker to wear, and your dirty
bare feet are sore and bleeding this
minute. 1t makes me sick to look at
them. Mother says you can have any
thing fit to be seen because your old
brute of father gets drunk. My father
is rich, and don't drink whiskey either,
so lean have nice shoes and fine dresses"
Mr.. Wood was sober enough to under
stand the meaning of the words ne had
heard, and he saw his little Lizzie turn
from them weeping bitterly The sight
Of his suffering child filed his heart
with sorrow and remorse. He was sob
cred by his emotions and began to
realize his miserable condition He had
become fully satisfied. as others were,
that Mr.. Brooks appropriated to his own
use the money of which he had preten-
ded to have been robbed.
lie felt that they were exulting over |
his downfall and the destitutiol of his |
family, while they were richly living
upon his own hard earnings.
As he was hus bitterly contemplating |
the ruin wrought by his late dissolute |
habits, he saw q lovely, well-dressed |
little girl approach his poor little Lizzie
and, placing an arm tenderly around
her, she told her not to cry, for she
would be her friend and love her. too, |
The father felt grateful to the sweet
girl, who thus sought to comfort his |
daughter in her destitution and sorrow. |
He thought that if she could bear to |
incur the displeasure and ridicule of her
mates by trying to befrieGd and comfort |
his child, that surely he her father. |
ought to possess sufficient affection for
his own dear girl to try to ma her
comfortable and happy.
He then aud there formed the wise